For an animal whose survival depends on being inconspicuous, the Sharp-tailed Grouse has developed quite a following. That’s because once a year, the males of this cryptically coloured species gather together for a dramatic display of dueling and dancing. If you've never seen these birds in action, it’s worth a look: though an increasingly rare sight in the wild, a quick Google search will turn up multiple clips of Sharp-tails stomping, vibrating, clucking and chirping at each other, all part of a dance of dominance designed to capture the attention of Sharp-tailed hens. Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek in Snow (HD) from Dawson Dunning on Vimeo . Starting at dawn, the males gather to establish territories on the dancing grounds, known as leks. Birds return to these sites year after year to perform their animated mating ritual , which provides an excellent opportunity for researchers to do bird counts to determine if their populations are changing - or if they've disappeared. When it was first described by Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s, the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse was considered to be the most prolific game bird in the Northwest. Historically, the Columbian subspecies of Sharp-tail was found across nine of the...

‘Tis the season for the Christmas Bird Count! Find a Christmas Bird Count near you and participate in the longest-running citizen science survey in the world. Started by the Audobon Society on Christmas Day in 1900, this early winter bird census involves thousands of volunteers across the Western Hemisphere counting birds in designated areas over a 24 hour period. The counts are held on specific days between December 14 th and January 5 th . Anyone can participate (it’s free!) but you must make arrangements in advance with the person designated as circle compiler. You can get the contact details for the circle compiler in your area by visiting the website of HCTF grant recipient Bird Studies Canada .

Global News BC ran the following story on HCTF Project #2-349, the Provision of Waterfowl & Raptor Habitat within Managed Grasslands on Lower Fraser River Farmland. The Foundation has contributed over $150,000 to this project, which encourages farmers to plant their fields with winter cover crops and create grassland set-asides. These programs are designed to simultaneously benefit farmers and wildlife by improving soil conditions while creating habitat. Winter cover crops provide a valuable food source for migratory birds, and grassland-set asides support small mammal populations and create raptor hunting grounds. Earlier this year, HCTF did an evaluation of this project, which you can read about here . You can find out more about the Winter Crop Cover and Grassland Set-asides programs by visiting the Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust website .

We’ve added a page to our website featuring some of the HCTF projects that have made their way into peer-reviewed journals. We know there are more out there, so if you are an HCTF proponent who has published the results of their project, please send us a link and we’ll add it to the list. Looking for more information about Foundation projects? The Ministry of Environment provides free public access to EcoCat , their Ecological Reports Catalogue. You can search for Foundation projects by entering “Habitat Conservation Trust” into the keywords field of the search page , and then selecting the “Search for Exact Phrase” option. Happy hunting!